GOLDEN GLOVES

As the 2008 World Youth champion Nanao watches,Suranjoy arranges his luggage on the right corner,knowing that the following evening a rush of 15 teammates will throng the room to see Suranjoy’s latest possession — a gold in the President’s Cup and the Best Boxer trophy in the tournament in Baku,Azerbaijan.

Only three other Indian boxers — Padam Bahadur Mall at the 1962 Asian Games,Dingko Singh at the 1997 King’s Cup,and Akhil Kumar at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in 2007 — have been adjudged the best in an international meet before. But for the 24-year-old from Manipur,who has been on a golden run since winning a European Grand Prix in May this year,this was perhaps the next logical step on a journey in which his ultimate quest is an Olympic gold in London in 2012.

“Both Nanao and I keep all our medals in this suitcase. Sometimes,I travel with a few of these medals when I go abroad for tournaments. It’s become a kind of superstition,” Suranjoy tells The Indian Express.

“For almost two years,I didn’t even open this case because I was struggling with my form. Nanao and I had a pact that we would open it again only when one of us got a medal. Then he became the World Youth Champion,and since then,we’ve been very lucky,” he adds. Suranjoy had beaten Frenchman Nordine Oubaali with a convincing 8-1 margin in the President’s Cup final.

Weight and watch

As a young boxer,the five-foot-five-inch Suranjoy was known for his reasonable success in the flyweight (51 kg) category. But he then shifted to light-flyweight (48 kg),and the decision suddenly pegged him back. Unable to come to terms with the demands of the lower weight-category,he struggled from tournament to tournament — his only joy a bronze medal in the junior Worlds in 2004.

Over the next four years,his string of mediocre performances continued — a first-round exit in the 2006 Commonwealth Games,and a number of failed attempts to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.

With compatriots Akhil,Vijender Singh and Jitender Kumar making a mark in Beijing,it seemed that Suranjoy had somehow fallen off the map. The turnaround started last season when Suranjoy entered in the World Military Boxing Championship in the 51-kg flyweight category,and won a silver.

“I had played my first international tournament in flyweight at the World Cadet Championship in 2002. Last year,my coach advised me to concentrate on flyweight again,because it would give me more of a chance to work on my positives. The decision has proved really good,” he says. It’s a bit of an understatement as the youngster from Uchiwa village in Manipur ended India’s 15-year-long wait to win a gold in the Asian Boxing Championship by finishing first in Zuhai (China) this year.

Suranjoy’s latest feat in the President’s Cup is something that his colleague,Olympics quarter-finalist Akhil Kumar,identifies with. “When I won the Best Boxer award in the Asian Olympic qualifiers two years ago,it was a special feeling. It definitely played a role in my good performance at the Olympics,” Akhil said. “It’s a trophy that boosts your confidence,and the fact that Suranjoy got the accolade at a stage like the President’s Cup is commendable. We all know that Dingko Singh was declared Best Boxer in the King’s Cup more than 10 years ago. This is at the same level. Suranjoy has a peculiar jab just like Dingko had,and it makes him lethal. Though it was only the second edition of President’s Cup,the fact that over 12 Olympic medalists were taking part in the event means a lot,” he added.

As someone who himself shifted categories frequently before settling down in bantamweight (54kg) after the World Championships in Milan,Akhil knows how difficult things can get the moment you try to change. Having made his featherweight (57kg) debut in the Asian Championship this year,Akhil suffered a first-round loss in the World Championship,before rushing back to the 54-kg category.

“Suranjoy has changed his game a lot over the years. The basics remain the same,but the lighter categories are different. They have the most technically sound boxers,and the focus is more on technique than power,” says Akhil.

Always in training

Back in Mumbai,Navy’s chief coach Dingko Singh is waiting impatiently for his reigning Asian champion ward Suranjoy to return to INS Hamla,a warship where the duo are posted. The Navy’s strict discipline for its 50-odd boxers at the training camp means that Suranjoy is never short of sparring practice. With HS Randhawa retiring as Navy coach early this year,Dingko has taken the charge,and while Suranjoy is making his presence felt in the world arena,the 1998 Asian Games gold medallist has been charting a 2012 Olympics road map for Suranjoy.

“One of the advantages that boxers such as Suranjoy have is that they’re never short on training. Boxing is not like other games,where one gets an off for a few months a year. When he’s not at the NIS,he takes part in Navy training sessions,” says Dingko. With new rules coming into the game,and the International Olympic Committee making changes in the weight categories,Dingko and national coach GS Sandhu have devised a new strategy for Suranjoy in order to prolong his career.

“Earlier,he used to concentrate on at least five punches per round,which used to increase the fatigue factor. With the new format of four rounds instead of three,we have slowly worked on reducing his punches,at the same time,adding more accuracy and power,” says Dingko.

Long-time friend Nanao has seen Suranjoy’s game closely and believes it is his grit that has resulted in his phenomenal success this season. “One of the things that he has improved upon is controlling his temper. I remember during the trials for the Beijing Olympics,he fell ill on the final day and did not talk to any of us. He was so disappointed,but instead of falling apart,he used it to become stronger mentally. His talks after the sparring sessions with Vijender have helped as well,” says Nanao.

Nanao had to wait for more than three years to make his comeback into the light flyweight category,and it was only when Suranjoy moved to 51 kgs that he managed to cement his place.

“Most of us know that his heart still lies in 48kg,but a lot will change for next year’s Asian Games when the categories are reshuffled. Among the current pool,only a few boxers have a taste of the different categories. How they adjust going forward will be critical,” says national coach GS Sandhu.

With the Olympics less than three years away,Suranjoy is hoping their trophy suitcase will run out of space in the run-up to the 2012 Games. “But an Olympic gold is the ultimate. That’s what any boxer wants.”

Dingko,Mary… Suranjoy: The latest product from Ibomcha’s assembly line

THE local boxers back home call him the Jagdish Singh (coach of Vijender,Akhil and Jitender in Bhiwani) of Manipur. But for Ibomcha Singh,who has coached the likes of four-time women’s world champion MC Mary Kom and 1998 Asian Games gold medalist Dingko Singh,the list of his trainees who have gone on to win international medals is on the rise.

Indian boxing’s latest findings Suranjoy Singh and Nanao Singh have been training under Ibomcha since 1998,and he believes they both have the mettle to go far.

“Suranjoy came in 1998 with his brother to enroll into a football academy. But somebody referred him to me,and as soon as he saw the boxers at the academy,he decided to take up the sport. He was very shy in the beginning. He used to say very little,and would call his brother if he needed anything — a walkman or a punching bag.

“Dingko Singh’s gold in 1998 changed a lot of things for pugilists in the region,and Suranjoy was one of the first boxers in the early 2000s to graduate into the senior level. Later,Nanao came into spotlight,” says Ibomcha,who is a Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach in Imphal.

Suranjoy started training at a local youth club called Sagolband Lukram Leirak in his village Uchiwa Leirak Achouba. He also trained periodically at the SAI Academy in Imphal,where he stayed at Ibomcha’s home. Apart from Suranjoy,Dingko Singh would also often be there,and the company worked wonders for him.

“Suranjoy’s village is very far from Imphal — it takes about six hours of walking to get there. Most of the time during holidays,he would stay at my home and his conversations with Dingko helped a lot in his early days. Later,many boxers from the Lukram Leirak club followed him to make their base in Imphal,” says Ibomcha.

Suranjoy’s village has been among the main centres of insurgency in Manipur but these days most of the youngsters in the region have been following Dingko and Suranjoy to make a start in boxing,a sport which has given them national heroes.

“Boxers such as Suranjoy and Dingko have inspired many youngsters to pick up boxing rather than fall in the insurgency trap. A lot of youngsters come and ask us about boxers like Dingko and now Suranjoy,and it’s great to see hope in their eyes. This June,when Suranjoy won the gold medal at the Asian Championship,local boxers collected more than Rs 50,000 and bought boxing equipment for him,” says Ibomcha.

The 50-year-old coach’s other trainee Mary Kom has also been in constant touch with Suranjoy and Nanao. “In Indian boxing,a lot of them can’t get through the transition phase from the junior to senior level,but both of them have showed a lot of maturity,” says Mary Kom.

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